“This is classed as theft. All broccoli purchases will be checked at the registers. Thanks, Management.”
https://twitter.com/RossAndRussel/status/1541168611011678209
This sternly-worded warning sparked plenty of debate after it was shared by radio station 3AW Breakfast.
Some questioned how leaving the broccoli stems counted as theft, with one person writing: “Technically not theft if you’re leaving it and taking what you pay for.”
Another said: “It’s not theft. That shop needs to understand contract law. The contract between customer and shop in agreeing on a) the item and b) the price.
"You’re not stealing it. You’re paying for what portion you want/need. Where’s this shop? I’ll break them stem off."
A third person wrote: “How is it theft when you are leaving it in the store?”
Others were keen to explain how this could be considered theft though.
https://twitter.com/WritersJake/status/1541222491493769216
https://twitter.com/NicoleMcMilllon/status/1541330064545320960
But others were much more concerned about why anyone would possibly want to leave what they believed to be the best part of the vegetable.
One questioned the logic by asking whether people would "peel an orange before you buy it?"
Another wrote: “Stems are so useful. Who on earth wouldn’t want them?”
And a third clearly had a strong love for that particular part of broccoli, claiming they "only eat stalks."
Some offered their suggestions for what you can use the stems for. These included cutting them up and sticking them in an air fryer to make chips, including them in a stir-fry for some extra crunch, or simply just boiling like the florets and eating as they are.